A radio network controller (RNC) (or an evolved RNC (eRNC)) in a wireless network usually maintains an inactivity timer (or time limit) for each active wireless user equipment (UE) (e.g., mobile communication devices, cell phones, mobile terminals, mobile handsets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc.). When the RNC does not detect activity from a UE for the duration of the inactivity timer, the RNC changes the UE's status from active to dormant and releases bearer resources (e.g., wireless network resources) for a real-time transport protocol (RTP) packet flow assigned to the UE. When a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) call (e.g., associated with the UE) is put on hold, no RTP packets are transmitted between the RNC and the UE until the VoIP call is retrieved from hold. If the VoIP call is placed on hold for a duration of time that is longer than the inactivity timer, the RNC will change the UE's status from active to dormant and will release bearer resources (e.g., a radio link between the RNC and the UE) associated with the VoIP call when the inactivity timer expires.
When the VoIP call is retrieved from hold, it takes time for the UE to change its status from dormant to active and for the bearer resources to be set up again between the UE and the RNC. Because of this time delay, voice clipping (e.g., when portions of a voice call, such as words, drop off so that they cannot be heard) will occur at the UE and cause an unacceptable experience for a user of the UE when the VoIP call is retrieved from hold. If the VoIP call is set up with a quality of service (QoS) that requires a media path to be available for the VoIP call, the VoIP call may be released unintentionally by the UE when the RNC releases the media path between the UE and the RNC, after expiration of the inactivity timer.